White Corners

The home on the northeast corner of Henry
Ave. and School House Lane was built between 1914 and 1920 for Viola
Carstairs. Leon and Blanche Levy purchased this neo-classical mansion
in the 1930’s.
Blanche Levy was the daughter of Goldie Paley (see Goldie
Paley House). The original house contained a master bedroom suite with
two dressing rooms and two bathrooms, plus four more
bedrooms and three baths. The house contained a total of
13 bathrooms, and a small kitchen on the
secondd
floor. The third floor was devoted to servant quarters. A chauffeur, a
butler, an upstairs maid, a downstairs maid and a kitchen person
staffed the house. Outside the house, there was a tennis court and a
swimming pool
on the eastern end of the property. In the 1950s another pool, with
a pool house, was built directly in the back of the house because Mrs. Levy did not want to walk so far to swim.

There is local legend that Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner
were married in this house. Actually, Frank and Ava were married at 506 W
Springer St. in West Mount Airy in November of 1951. However, the Levy
house was used as a decoy to fool the local media. Rumors were
circulated that the wedding would occur at Levy’s home and since he was
a friend of Sinatra’s and a broadcast executive, the
story was considered to be plausible. Robert Levy, Blanche’s son, was an
alumni of William Penn Charter School, (class of 1948) and very active
in its affairs. In 1987, Blanche Levy gave the property to Penn
Charter, under the condition that she could occupy it for the rest of
her life.

In 1992, Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science
purchased the property from Penn Charter. In November of 1995 a $700,000
renovation program was initiated which culminated with the offices of
Admissions and Financial Aid moving into the building in April of
1996.